Sirona Says

Are you reversing your social media back into your mainstream?

Whether we like it or not, we all are now very much part of the world of social media. But when it comes to reversing social media back into the mainstream, I just wonder how many of you are actually doing it?

The reason I ask is two fold:
First, a blog post I read today from the excellent David Risley. In it he talks about the BlogWorld Exhibition 09 that has just happened in Las Vegas. He obviously met loads of bloggers ('supposed' promoters of social media) and naturally they all exchanged business cards. What David highlights in his post, is the large number of people that simply don't put their different social media contact points on their cards.

Second, has to do with the rebranding process of my Sirona Consulting website. As always with logo changes etc, there needs to new literature produced - letterheads, business cards etc. I like to run business card designs past various people to gather opinion, before they go to print. On the reverse of my 'proposed' card design (shown below), I naturally put some of my social media contact details - Twitter, LinkedIn and my blog - on it. This was met with surprise!! "Why are you putting that stuff on your business card?" ; "That's a business card, why are you putting Twitter stuff on it?"

For me it is the obvious thing to do. Social media has become an integral part of my business, so why wouldn't I put my details of it on my business card? Printed literature may seem a little old school for some more radical social media bods, but these mainstream 'tools' will still be around for years to come, and they are essential when it comes to face-to-face networking, for example. Can you imagine not going to a networking event without any business cards?
Most companies still use many printed promotional products. If your company has a social media presence why wouldn't you tell people about them on your literature? Remember the first line of this post?....Whether we like it or not, we all are now very much part of the world of social media....promoting your social media locations should surely be the natural thing to do.....shouldn't it?
For me the question is the same as David's - why haven't you got all your details on your cards?  Don't you want to encourage people to connect with you via your different social media platforms? Don't you want people to read your blogs and follow your updates?

I for one want to tell people about what I do, and what better way is there than to share with new people, all the places you can be found on the web.

So, the crunch question - have you got all your details on your business card? If you have left them off deliberately, I would be very interested to know why you have taken that approach.

Is this what happens with Twitter, Facebook and Blogging?

Guy Kawasaki's excellent Twitter as a Business Twool presentation

I came across this over lunch today, and really felt it was worth sharing with you all, especially if you are new to Twitter and are trying to get your head around it!  It is from the brilliant Guy Kawasaki, the well respected innovator.

It is a presentation by him showing how Twitter is a breat business twool and should be used so accordingly. And if you are not using Twitter for your business yet, now is the time to ask youself why not! 

Enjoy.

Have you started using Twitter yet? If not why not? If you, are then you can follow me at @andyheadworth

Ten Ways to use Facebook to find a job

There are many tools out there in the social media space, and you could be confused by trying to cover all of them - especially if you have recently lost your job and need to find a new one. But for me it is about getting a balance with using a smaller number social media tools that stand the most chance of being effective AND suit you to engage with on a regular basis.
So for me they are LinkedIn, Twitter, Blogging and of course Facebook. This then gives you an even spread across the business focused LinkedIn, the immediacy and 'freshness of Twitter', the personal brand building of blogging and the social networking that is Facebook.

Up until recently Facebook has been the preserve of social networking only, with any overt activity on the job front being somewhat frowned upon. However, two things have changed that - the first being the recession and the need for many people to find new employment, and second, the sheer speed at which Facebook is growing globally - literally millions every week! So now individuals, companies and recruiters are becoming more focused on using Facebook, both from candidate searching and job finding perspective..

I have looked at how you can use Facebook in the most effective way to to help job seekers find a job, and recruiters find the job seeker - both of which are very important in the proactive part of the job marketplace.
So here are ten ways to use Facebook to find a job:

1. Don't forget the public nature of Facebook
While I am sure you do appreciate the public nature of information on the internet, don't forget that just because you are looking for a job. You must assume that everything you write is available for public consumption, and that means any future employers. Many companies now do some internet searching and check the validity of their future employees - yes I know they will all tell you they don't, but I can confidently tell you that's rubbish, they do!
So if you have a profile on LinkedIn and other sites, make sure they all tell the same story! Also make sure your details are all accurate. As I tell everyone, don't put anything on your online profile that you wouldn't want an employer to see.

2. Pimp your profile.
You need to ensure that you have a full profile, and that it reads akin to a CV or Resume.What you must remember is that when companies or recruiters are searching for candidates, they are 'conditioned' to view prospective candidates in a traditional way (right or wrong). So in the art of stating the obvious - give them what they expect.
It is important to highlight your assets and project an accurate representation of yourself. Make sure your education history is correct, with correct dates; your employment history need to be correct, again with correct dates - and just in case you think you can get away with changing the dates, don't even bother - it is very easy to check! ; list any volunteer work or work done through your degree (sandwich courses); check your group memberships  -you may want to remove some of the more 'seemed fun at the time' groups you joined - would you want an employer to see them?

Honestly, Social Media is not Voodoo or Black Magic!!

Following several conversations this week with new clients, I have come to the conclusion that some people in business believe that social media has been created in the land of voodoo and black magic!!

It isn't as if the people that I have been speaking to are the older generations, such as the boomers or late gen X'ers - their not! In fact they include some gen Y'ers!

Maybe they have a point?  (addictive, mind controlling social networks, that keep some people entranced for days - do you know what, maybe there is something in their ideas?)

Just to bring it back to reality for a moment....I just want to explain what I mean.

As you know, I help and advise companies on recruitment. I advise them on strategy, process, candidate attraction methods, etc etc. Obviously, social media has now come into this mix as well, in a big way, with things like blogs, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, social networks etc and helping them developing and incorporating a social media strategy into their recruitment has become very important.
Now, according to some people, this is where I obviously start turning into a voodoo high priest, casting spells on innocent people wanting to experience the world of social media!!

It seems that Twitter, blogs and particularly Facebook seem to be scaring off alot of people, and I think it is purely down to the level of engagement needed to make them a success. Time is people's worst enemy, and is the first thing people mention to me - I don't have time to do all that, to get involved and tweet to all my followers!
This is intriguing me, because even though the potential benefits of social media are great, there does also seem to be a big perceived downside before it evens gets started. Here are some of the negatives I have been exposed to this week alone:

1. Fear of the unknown
2. Lack of understanding of the technology (this does get overcome with some explanation)
3. Perceived time constraints
4. Media anti-hype issues (ie Facebook last year)
5. Fear of direct criticism

They are genuine objections, and need overcoming before a company (or individual) will even start to consider getting into social media.
Maybe acceptance will start to happen at a faster rate when these voodoo worshipers (sorry, I mean companies), start to see more of the big brands engaging with social media. Maybe they want to be social media lemmings and just play follow my leader?

As I say to all the companies I speak to about this subject, social media is here to stay - FACT!. It is fast becoming intrinsically linked to recruitment strategies, candidate attraction, employer branding, brand marketing and a whole lot more. The quicker companies start to listen, and take the time to learn and understand about it then the quicker they will ready to engage with their most important asset - their customers / job seekers.

Maybe I should drop the long black coat, top hat and skeleton necklace for my meetings in future? After all, Twitter isn't a voodoo spell...................... is it?

Just to clarify for all you Twitter Virgins and Twitter Newbies, Twitter is not Facebook!

When talking to Twitter virgins and Twitter newbies, many make the mistake of comparing Twitter to Facebook.

Can we just get this straight, Twitter is not Facebook!

Facebook is excellent and is a full social network, with all the functionality that comes with that, and typically it is a network that people join and tend not to unjoin (unless you really hack them off - and especially if you have an axe-murdering grandma!)). Many people in your network may well be known personally to you, and as such it becomes much more your own social network, where you all share all your experiences and photos etc.

Twitter is a micro-blogging site, where you follow people and people follow you, because of a common interest, and therefore a reason to engage with people that have similar interests, whether that be work or social related. People choose to Follow You / Unfollow You all the time, as part of everyday Twitter life, and it shouldn't be taken personally if you lose some followers, that's what happens.

Twitter allows you instant access to people (to follow), and allows you to engage in conversation with them - as long as you have something interesting to say of course!! They may well choose not to follow you, but that doesn't stop you from seeing what they have to say. Facebook is much more private - if you do not want people to be your friend you simply say No.

So for me, Twitter is brilliant, instant,  fluid, fast and fun, whereas Facebook while equally addictive and brilliant is a more personal type of social network, where you have total control, and more likely, a longer relationship.

So what do you think? Is it Twitter or Facebook for you? (and yes you can have both of course, before you get clever!)

Do you want to know why people won't Follow You in return on Twitter?

As Twitter is rapidly becoming a more widely used social networking platform, well publicised by the celeb twitters such as Stephen Fry, Phillip Schofield and Jonathan Ross, many more people are being attracted to it.
This is fantastic, and can only be good for the platform (as long as it can handle the traffic!), but with this traffic comes many people who, for whatever reason, can end up wasting your time (and their for that matter) on Twitter. When you are starting on Twitter for the first time, it can be hard to know where to start, to find people to follow. If you have a large network of people on Twitter already then it is easier, but for many that is not the case. You can use tools like Twitter Search or Twellow where you can find people you might like to follow. Alternatively, you can jump on to Google and find expert advice on building your followers from people like Kevin Rose .

One of the reasons why Twitter is so powerful is that if you appear to be interesting, have great things to say, have an interesting job and are trying hard to be a participant within Twitter, then when you follow people they will typically follow you back. Obviously it doesn't happen every time, but as a general rule of thumb - depending on who you choose to follow - people will follow you back.
But over the last month, with the increased traffic numbers, I have chosen to become a little more careful in who I follow. The reason is a simple one -  most of the time I just don't know who you are or what you look like - and called me 'old-fashioned' but I like to know these things.

So here are my criteria as to whether I follow people on Twitter or not:

1. You have a picture of your dog as your Image
 
While I have no problems with cats or dogs, I struggle to see why people would use a picture of their cat or dog (or worse) as their picture image on Twitter. Surely being on Twitter is about engaging with everyone - and if that is the case then why don't you show everyone what you look like! If you don't want to show us the real you, then why should I follow you back? I WANT to see what you look like, who I am following and who I am conversing with.
There is only one thing worse than a picture of your dog, and that is no picture at all. So get out you camera, webcam or phone take a picture and get it online on Twitter. After all can it be worse that mine?

So how do you get 12,000 followers on Twitter?

Someone asked me today, how is it possible to get so many followers on Twitter? In all honesty, it does seem one hell of a task!! But with recent stats that have come out showing how much it is growing in the UK, it may be easier than you think!

I came across this video a little earlier today and felt that it would be worth sharing this interview with one of the early adoptors of Twitter -Wayne Sutton . He explains his philosophy with regards to Twitter, which we can all learn from.

The Secret To 12,000+ Followers On Twitter from Kipp Bodnar on Vimeo.

If you are still a little sceptical, then here are a couple of great articles on using Twitter for business and why it is so effective to do so.

1. Nikki Pilkington is an internet marketing expert, and explains here how she uses Twitter - it is excellent.

2. Leif Kendall is a copywriter, and he explains why he thinks Twitter is a very useful tool for business.

Got it now? Have you followed me yet? If not you know what to do....click here

Can you tell me why companies ARE NOT using web 2.0 to attract and recruit new staff?

 

Today I read an article that was shocking from a recruitment perspective. The content shouldn't surprise me, as I am getting used to seeing it first hand with companies that I consult with, but even so, it was a really big disappointment!

So what am I talking about? The sentence is a simple one.......

In a recent CIPD survey, "more than 80% of companies don't use web 2.0 methods of technology on the web, to attract or recruit new employees."

Why not?

Can you tell me why companies are not using web 2.0 methods to recruit staff?

I would love to hear what you think, so please comment away!

Does Your Business need a Recruitment Pinch Hitter now?

I am sure that many of you are not fans of Baseball, so first let me explain what a pinch hitter actually is:

They are simply defined as a substitute for another person, especially in an emergency or a moment of need.  This expression comes from baseball, where it is used for a player substituting for another at bat at a critical point or in a tight situation.

So to put into a business context, it would be someone with specialist skills being called upon to go into a company and solve specific needs of that company, for problems or issues they are experiencing.

Yes it's not brilliant out there, but it's NOT THAT BAD

We all know the state of the economy, it is something that everyday the media seem to taking great pleasure in telling us because they think people want to hear about it!
But what is more significant, is that all this bad news and the continual overkill of doom and gloom  (in my opinion, anyway) that comes out of the British Chamber of Commerce is ever-shrinking the confidence of recruitment and employment in UK businesses.

But let me be clear here, yes there is alot of bad news out there, but it is not effecting every company in the same way, as many are still recruiting staff at all levels. There are still big recruitment problems out there for some companies, as the quality and availability of candidates is becoming very limited.

A large retailer I spoke to last week, told me that their usage of recruitment agencies has actually increased since the credit crunch took hold!! Is that so surprising?
They now receive ten times more CV's, and the quality has dropped dramatically, so for this retailer to get to speak to the skilled individuals they need in their business, they are needing to use agencies to source them.